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Jane Doe 1, et al. v. Kentucky, ex rel. Russell Coleman, Attorney General of Kentucky

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 23-5609 · judgment September 28, 2023


Certiorari denied · June 30, 2025
Pre-decision estimate: 9% cert probability (95% interval 5%–14%)

Before the decision, about 2.1× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a petition filed soon after the judgment below, counsel who has won certiorari before, and a Sixth Circuit decision below, and down for a state or local-government respondent.

Questions presented

In 2023, the Kentucky Legislature enacted a blanket ban on the use of certain medical treatments for transgender minors. The ban applies when the treatments are used “for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of, or to validate a minor’s perception of, the minor’s sex, if that appearance or perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.” Ky. Rev. Stat. § 311.372(2) (the “Treatment Ban”). A federal district court preliminarily enjoined the Treatment Ban, but the Sixth Circuit reversed the injunction, upholding the Treatment Ban under rational basis review. The questions presented are:

  1. Whether, under the Due Process Clause, the Treatment Ban should be subjected to heightened scrutiny because it burdens parents’ right to direct the medical treatment of their children.

  2. Whether, under the Equal Protection Clause, the Treatment Ban should be subjected to heightened scrutiny because it classifies on the basis of sex and transgender status.

  3. Whether Petitioners are likely to show that the Treatment Ban does not satisfy heightened scrutiny.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Adam G. Unikowsky
Jenner & Block LLP

For respondent
Matthew Franklin Kuhn
Office of Attorney General of Kentucky

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 14 conferences

Amicus briefs
5 cert-stage

Related
Vide, 23-466

Proceedings

  1. Jun 30 2025
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Jun 23 2025
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/26/2025.
  3. Jun 17 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/20/2024.
  4. Jun 10 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/13/2024.
  5. Jun 03 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/6/2024.
  6. May 28 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/30/2024.
  7. May 20 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/23/2024.
  8. May 13 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/16/2024.
  9. May 08 2024
    Rescheduled.
  10. May 06 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/9/2024.
  11. Apr 25 2024
    Rescheduled.
  12. Apr 22 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/26/2024.
  13. Apr 18 2024
    Rescheduled.
  14. Apr 15 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/19/2024.
  15. Apr 11 2024
    Rescheduled.
  16. Apr 08 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/12/2024.
  17. Mar 26 2024
    Rescheduled.
  18. Mar 25 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/28/2024.
  19. Mar 20 2024
    Rescheduled.
  20. Mar 18 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/22/2024.
  21. Mar 13 2024
    Rescheduled.
  22. Feb 21 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/15/2024.
  23. Feb 20 2024
    Reply of petitioners Jane Doe 1, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  24. Feb 05 2024
    Brief of respondent Kentucky in opposition filed.
  25. Feb 02 2024
    Brief amicus curiae of Alabama filed. VIDED.
  26. Dec 15 2023
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including February 5, 2024.
  27. Dec 14 2023
    Petition for writ of certiorari dismissed under Rule 46 only as to petitioners John Doe 3, Jane Doe 3, and Jane Minor Doe 3.
  28. Dec 13 2023
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from January 10, 2024 to February 5, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
  29. Dec 11 2023
    Brief amicus curiae of TransParent filed.
  30. Dec 11 2023
    Brief amici curiae of American Academy of Pediatrics and Additional National and State Medical and Mental Health Organizations filed.
  31. Dec 11 2023
    Stipulation to dismiss the petition under Rule 46.1 as to petitioners John Doe 3, Jane Doe 3, and Jane Minor Doe 3 only filed.
  32. Dec 04 2023
    Brief amici curiae of Elliot Page, et al. filed. VIDED.
  33. Nov 17 2023
    Brief amici curiae of Foreign Non-Profit Organizations Advocating for the Rights of Transgender People filed. VIDED.
  34. Nov 14 2023
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including January 10, 2024.
  35. Nov 13 2023
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 11, 2023 to January 10, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
  36. Nov 03 2023
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 11, 2023)